


Sifu Asami, Egg Breaker

by Muffinatrix



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Body Dysphoria, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Gender Dysphoria, Monogamy, discussion of sex (no explicit language), emetophobia trigger warning (no explicit language)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23064838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muffinatrix/pseuds/Muffinatrix
Summary: Asami and her earthbender friend have a few heart-to-hearts.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Sifu Asami, Egg Breaker

“So there we are in the vine room, and this knob-fiddling guard dude gets a big grin on his face–” Asami plugs a detail in before popping a tuna trout roll into her mouth. “Engineer?” Bolin points at her. “Yeah yeah, so the engineer’s all like, ‘muahaha, this room is all platinum, you’ve got no earth!’ but little did he know I had these little rocks and BOOM! Lava disc!”

Asami swallows hastily to get back in the fray. “Dang, I should’ve been there.” Korra switches her chopsticks to her left hand so she can caress Asami’s back with her right. Bolin sighs and smiles. “I’m so glad you guys agreed to a double date.”

Korra chimes in. “It’s nice not having the pressure to keep up a conversation. We can all just listen to The Adventures of Bolin.” He puts a hand to his chin with a dramatic flair. “Maybe we could swap the lava for ice and turn it into a Nuktuk mover.” Asami chuckles. “I thought Nuktuk was a non-bender.” Korra retorts with sarcasm. “Maybe a giant lion turtle grants him ‘The Power of Water’!” Before Bolin has a chance to correct them, he’s silenced by his own laughter, and the three of them all share the laugh.

Opal takes a big gulp to finish off her sake. "I'm heading to the ladies' room. Anybody?" She looks at Asami, who holds up her half-finished glass of water. "I'm good. Designated driver." Korra takes a swig of huangjiu, slams it down, and puts a fist in the air. "The Avatar will protect you!"

Bolin stands up to make room for Opal, while Asami actively takes her girlfriend's arm to help her up. She swings around to kiss Asami on the cheek. "I'm fine." _Smooch._ "I can handle my liquor." Opal takes this as a cue to kiss Bolin's cheek. He smiles and blushes. Asami cups Korra's face. "No you can't, but I love you." She kisses Korra's lips and Opal does the same to Bolin. Korra and Opal walk off together, Opal with a bit more poise, while Asami and Bolin sit back down.

Bolin has an epiphany, and blurts it out. "Wow, I am suddenly realizing how little you and I hang out without also seeing Korra and Mako."

Asami sets down the chopsticks she just picked up. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way."

Bolin puts his hands up and pushes his lips into a pouty face. "I understand completely. My brother is kind of amazing, and Korra, well, she's the Avatar!" Asami starts to correct him. "That's not why I-" Bolin cuts her off with his hands miming a caress. "I know, I know, not remotely the coolest thing about her."

He puts his hands down on the table to punctuate the shift to a more serious tone. "That's exactly it though. Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you haven't either dated or been related to." Asami gives him a slow blink. "You dated Korra?" Bolin's eyes widen. _You didn't know? She didn't tell you? Did I just get her in trouble?_ He feels as if his entire head is hot and sweating. "It was just one date! And, you know, it was fun, but it wasn't romantic. I mean I thought it was at the time, but that's just because we were a boy and a girl, and I didn't really get attention from girls…"

His stammering trails off as Asami puts her hand over her mouth. She tries to stifle a laugh, but that only brings it out in full force. Bolin starts to giggle along. She finds a breath to put him at ease. "Has anyone I know not dated my girlfriend?" She keeps giggling, thinking about what other people could be Korra's exes.

She notices Bolin staring into space, and puts a hand on the table to get his attention. "We were laughing a second ago. What's wrong?" He catches her eye, and then looks down. "I’m kinda jealous of you and Korra, to be honest. Opal and I haven't been… you know, intimate… like ever." Asami takes her hand back. "That's okay. Sometimes women take a long time to get that comfortable. Are you her first boyfriend?" He looks up with a furrowed brow. "What? No. I mean yes, I am her first boyfriend, but… men are supposed to be ready to go all the time, and I think she's taking it like I'm rejecting _her_ instead of just not being in the mood."

Asami reaches for water with her eyes fixed on Bolin. "Ah. Well, then what's the issue on your end? How come you're never in the mood?" He doesn't answer while she takes a sip of water, so she probes further. "Are you not attracted to her in that way?" This stirs him up. "No, no, I am! She's so gorgeous, and, you know, sexy too, but…” He sighs. “It doesn't seem fair. Women's bodies are these beautiful works of art, but men, we're all blocky, and hairy, and just… gross!"

A little moisture starts to well up in Asami's eyes. "Bolin, how long have you thought about your body like that?" Before he has time to answer, Korra announces her and Opal's return. "Good tidings, fellow travelers!" Asami and Bolin stand up to let them back in the booth. Korra plants a sloppy kiss on Asami, and Opal plants one on Bolin. Asami grabs Korra by the shoulders. "Alright, slow down there, Avatar. I think I need to cut you off." Korra whines. “Aw, come on.” She tries to bribe Asami with a sweet and gentle kiss on the cheek. Opal shoots Korra a sideways glance and once again mirrors her action on Bolin, followed by a flurry of little pecks. Korra glances back and attacks Asami’s cheek, prompting Opal to get more aggressive as well.

Bolin nudges Opal away in order to finally stop the competition. “Okay, okay, I get it. I love you too.” Opal blushes and shrinks herself back into the booth. For Korra it’s more of a controlled fall. Asami holds out a soft ‘stop’ gesture before sitting down. “Bolin, we should talk more. How’s the same time next week, but at my house instead?” He gives her a light shrug. “Uh, yeah, sure, that sounds great!”

Opal fidgets with her chopsticks in a bowl of unfinished rice, not picking any of it up. Korra leans on Asami and holds onto her necklace, technically whispering but being totally conspicuous. “What happened with you two?” Asami pulls an arm out from under Korra to wrap it around her instead. “It’s not really my place to say.”

Korra tries to stealthily pick up her remaining huangjiu, but Asami snatches the glass away. She hands it to a shockingly sober Bolin, who downs it without hesitation. Korra puts her arms on the table and rests her chin on them to sulk. Opal meets her gaze for a moment before directing her attention to her boyfriend. “Well then, Bolin, care to enlighten us?”

His voice cracks in the tell-tale way it always does when he can’t think of a good lie. “Oh, there’s this new Future Industries product line on the way, and uh, she thought I might make a good mascot for it.”

Opal looks deflated as she puts a stack of yuans on the table, signalling that she’s ready to head out. Asami stares her down like she’s challenging her to a duel. “Woah, hold on there. This is my treat.” Opal leaves the yuans where they are, and meets Asami’s stare. “Relax. I won’t need it anyway once I go back to the temple.” Asami stands down. “Can’t argue with that.”

The money stays where it is, and the two couples head out together.

  
...

“Here we are, last ferry of the night.” Asami parks her Satomobile and removes her seatbelt, while Korra sits and stares. Bolin stretches his arms up and yawns. “Thanks, Asami. We should do this again next time Opal’s in town.” Everyone except Korra steps out of the car. Asami approaches Bolin for a hug. “Totally.” She speaks softer as they embrace. “We’re on for next week, right?” He waits until they’re done hugging to answer. “Yeah, of course!” They both circle around the car, him to give Korra a hug and her to offer Opal one. “Opal, are you a hugger?” She replies nervously. “Uh, sure.” They hug briefly while Korra squeezes the air out of Bolin.

Bolin waves goodbye as he turns to take Opal’s hand. “Remind me to thank Pema for letting me stay on the island.” She speaks in a robotic imitation of her usual cheer as they walk to the ticket booth. “Yeah, of course.”

Asami kisses Korra on the cheek before starting the car again. Once they’re at a safe distance, Korra tosses her head toward the driver’s seat. “So, what’s got a bug up Opal’s butt?” Asami hits the breaks, not to stop but to look over to her girlfriend at a safer speed. “Goodness, babe, you can’t just say that!” Korra fights through a laugh. “Why not? I’m right!” Asami doesn’t argue the point. 

“Look, it’s like I said earlier. That information isn’t mine to share.” Korra reaches out to touch her shoulder. “Hey. Whatever’s said between us, stays between us.” Asami keeps looking ahead. “I know, but I need to be sure first. I don’t want to make a fool of myself by jumping to conclusions.”

As they stop at an intersection, she takes the opportunity to look away from the road. “You’re right that Opal didn’t have a good time. That’s all I’ll say for now.” Korra makes a kissy face. “You and me could have a good time…”

Asami looks back at the road as the light changes. “Korra, first of all, you can’t meaningfully consent right now, and second, that’s a much longer conversation.” She takes a moment to think of an alternative. “But we could sleep together. As in literally sleep, nothing else. Well, maybe a little cuddling.” Korra tackles her with a flurry of kisses. “Babe, driving. Driving!”

* * *

“Wow. No matter how many times I visit this place, I am never not impressed.” Pabu scampers away, and Bolin hears Asami’s voice coming from the wall he disappeared behind. “Oh, sorry, just finishing up some...” She doesn’t finish her sentence.

Upon following his fire ferret, Bolin sees Asami at a kitchen table, plugging away at a typewriter, with loose papers forming a messy arc in front of her. “No offense, but… you own the company, and you work weekends?”

She talks while typing. “I was planning to catch up last week before I remembered that I had a double date.” She stops and looks up. “You look perturbed. What’s the matter?” He replies halfway to a mumble. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just kind of expected Korra would be here.”

She resumes typing. “Wu asked her to help keep the peace in case the new elections get heated… and is probably also hitting on her as we speak.” She smiles at the thought of her girlfriend beating up a twink. “When I fell in love with the Avatar, I knew what I was signing up for.”

Bolin looks around the room. Pabu scampers to his feet. “It’s kind of empty though. Where’s that butler guy?” She corrects him. “Actually, the term is valet. A butler is a manager who directs the other housekeepers.”

She stops and looks up to see Bolin staring intently, but she knows in her heart he’s just being polite. “Sorry. I wanted to try doing more things for myself instead of relying on money. I gave him a great reference…” She holds up a cheeky smile. “…and a late bonus for dealing with you.” He protests. “I was a different man back then.”

She moves the typewriter onto one of the loose papers, and stands up to hug her friend. “You’re the best Bolin so far.” Pabu tries to join in by rubbing his head on her leg. “Oh, hey, are you hungry? I kind of forgot to get groceries, but there’s this noodle place where you can call them and they bring the food right to your door! They should be here in about a half-hour.”

Bolin does a little fidgety dance. “Just when I thought you could not get more amazing! Now I’m even more excited for this elusive private talk...” The reminder makes her suddenly self-conscious. “Right. Well, the last thing I want to do is be hasty, or presumptuous, but when you were talking about how men’s and women’s bodies are, it reminded me of some of my own insecurities. I guess I thought you might want to talk with someone who has that understanding, even if it’s from a different place.”

He blinks at her a few times. “I don’t want to get in trouble with Opal, or Korra for that matter, but you’re kind of incredibly beautiful. What do you have to be insecure about?”

She scoffs at him. “Come on, Bolin. I know you can tell. You don’t need to play dumb with me.” He pleads with her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. In this case, I am actually dumb.” She crosses her arms, annoyed. ‘You’re really gonna make me say it? Fine. I’m trans, Bolin. Transgender.”

The plea continues. “I seriously had no idea.” She looks at him doubtfully, and he tries to think of a quick reassurance. “It’s cool! Me and Mako met lots of trans guys when we lived on the street. I think I might even know someone who could make you a binder.” She smacks her own forehead. “No. Wrong direction. I’m a woman. People thought I was a boy.”

His face evolves with each word. “Oh! You…? Wow. I didn’t think that was possible...” He gets inspired and perks up with excitement. “Can you show me how you do your makeup?” She stumbles on the shift in his demeanor. “Oh, this? It’s just foundation, highlighter contour, a little blush, shadow liner and mascara, and lipstick. That’s all. Sometimes I add lipgloss.” He freezes for a moment with his jaw falling. “I recognized some of those words.”

…

“The trick is to follow the bone. Once you get the hang of it, you can start shifting it around, but when you’re just starting out, it’s important to get a feel for the shape of your face.” He starts to brush the other side with a shaky hand. “Why do I get the feeling my ‘bones’ are going to be two different sizes?” She chuckles. “You can always wash it off.”

She studies his face for a moment, and gets an idea. “Sit tight, I want to give you something.” She runs into a nearby closet. Pabu cocks his head at Bolin while looking indirectly through the mirror. Asami returns with a long, straight, brown wig. “I used to wear this before I was comfortable with my own hair. Let’s see if it completes the look.” He dons the wig and she shimmies it into place. He mouths a silent ‘wow’ at the mirror. “You look stunning. People of all genders will swoon.”

_Knock knock knock._ Asami yells to close the distance. “Coming!” The two practically race to the door, Asami to be a proper host, and Bolin to get food in his belly. Pabu follows after them.

Asami opens the door to see a muscular man in tight running clothes, with long locks tied up in a ponytail. His eyes portray gentleness and confidence at the same time. He’s basically the definition of ‘tall, dark, and handsome’.

“Hi, are you Sami?” He darts his eyes between the two of them, unsure who to look at. She moves her eyes from his chest up to his face. “Oh, yeah, that’s me.” He hands her the bag. “That’ll be two-twenty-five.” She hands the bag to Bolin and pulls three hundred yuans out of her pocket. She looks past them at the delivery man’s abs, a move that she thinks is subtle, but isn’t. “Keep the change.”

He takes the money, smiles, and puts his hands together in a small bow. “You ladies have a good evening.” Bolin stares into space while the door closes on its own. “That felt weird… but good.” Asami bites her lip. “Tell me about it… Wait, what did you say?” He gets caught up in her nonverbal cues. “Ooh, does Korra know about your little crush on, uh…?” He turns the bag around to look at the receipt. “Lee. Well that’s boring.”

She tables her ‘only actions matter’ speech to stay on target. “Bolin, what did you say right after the delivery guy left?” He looks at her, puzzled. “Oh, just that it was weird being called a lady. I guess we went a little overboard with the makeover. But at the same time, it also felt satisfying.” He holds up the neglected food bag. “Like when you have a craving for noodles all day, and you finally get noodles!”

* * *

Opal’s stance is more like an earthbender, as she blasts jabs of air at some wooden chairs she borrowed from the Air Temple Island house. Bolin yells in her direction from the front door, getting quieter as he approaches. “Hey sweetie, I was wondering where you’d gone when I didn’t find you in your room.” She snaps at him. “You shouldn’t be in that part of the house anyway. Girls only.”

He tries to ignore her tone and stay positive. “So, uh, how’s your airbending practice going?” She stops bending and stands up straight, but doesn’t look at him. “Are you in love with her?”

He freezes. “What? You mean Asami?? No, we’re just friends.” She plows right past his words. “Are you two going to run off together?” He feels his whole body melt. “Opal, where’s this coming from?” She turns her head by itself, revealing glossy eyes. “I just want to hear you say it.”

He reaches a hand to her shoulder. “Look, no one in their right mind would mess with the Avatar’s girlfriend.” She swats his hand away. “But you want to.” He drops his hand with a mixture of defeat and frustration. “No, I’m just… She’s helping me with something.” She turns away from him again and speaks partly to herself. “Helping you take your clothes off.”

Bolin’s voice rises in protest. “I would never!” Her crying starts to reflect in her voice. “Not with me, so you must be getting it somewhere else! You could have at least had the decency to come up with a good lie.” Bolin’s eyes start to tear up as well. “Opal, it’s not like that at all.”

She picks up a downed chair behind her with a whirlwind and throws it back down in front of her, breaking it on impact. Bolin tries to sound soothing. “Opal…” He walks around to her front to see the tears rolling down her face. “If you can’t be honest, then I’m done trying to make you. It’s over, Bolin.”

* * *

“Shouldn’t I have always known? Or showed some kind of sign when I was a kid?” Asami passes by practicing her backstroke. “I did, but everyone figures things out at their own pace.”

“What if it’s all in my head, though?” She passes on the other side. “Technically it is, until you start telling people.”

“I mean what if it’s not true and I’m just trying to be special and I’m insulting people like you who really have to struggle–“ She holds out a shushing finger. “Those are other people’s thoughts.” She scoops up a water bowl in her hands and drops it overhead. “Let them wash away.”

“What if she doesn’t believe me, or she just hates me more?” Asami holds her friend by the shoulders. “Considering where she grew up, I don’t think that will happen. If it does, then you come back here, cry a lot, and eat a whole tub of ice cream.”

“A whole tub?”

“The whole thing. And then another, until you get so sick it comes back out.”

“I bet I can make it to five.”

“Attagirl.”

“How about… Jing? You know, because I’m an earthbender?” Asami smiles. “Jing. I think that’s a beautiful name.”

* * *

Opal lies on the bed in Jinora’s room, reading whichever novel was on the top of a stack of books. She hears a knock on the door, but ignores it until the end of the paragraph, where she lines up a ribbon bookmark. She gets up and slides the door open to see, as far as she knows, her ex-boyfriend on the other side. “What are you doing here?”

Jing awkwardly shifts around, unsure what to do with her hands. “I need to come clean.” Opal scoffs. “It’s way too late for that.” She grips the door tightly, ready to slam it shut, and Jing puts her hand out ready to stop it. “Please, just give me a minute.” The grip on the door loosens, and she takes it as a cue to get on with it.

“There was something I was struggling with, something I needed to figure out about myself. Asami noticed that, um… signs? She noticed the signs first, and she helped me come to terms with it.” She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I... don’t want to be called Bolin any more. I want to be… Jing.” Opal looks at her doubtfully. “Jing? Isn’t that a…?” She picks up the train of thought. “A girl’s name. Yeah. I’m… I think I’m… a girl.”

Opal’s hand drops. She looks down at the floor. “Is… is that why you didn’t want to…” Her own body interrupts her with overwhelming tears, cursing herself for her mistake. “Yeah. I think so.” She tackle-hugs Jing, alternating between kissing her cheek, crying and speaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Jing moves her arms hesitantly, to reciprocate the hug. “Does this mean it’s not over any more?” Opal holds her by both cheeks and kisses her deeply.

“Jing, my girlfriend. I want to be there with you every step of the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> As a little bonus, this is basically how I see Jing ending up looking. I do not know how to draw, but I do know GIMP. _(I'm aware there are several existing "Rule 63"/"genderbent" artworks available, but these tend to draw the character as if they were cis, which I'm not about.)_  
> 


End file.
